November was truly Arts’ Month at least for Manileños. It should be celebrated nationwide. November is auspicious in so many parts of the country the rice harvest is already in, the weather starts to cool and the festive glow which precedes Christmas has began to brighten the landscape.
First, the drama festival at the Cultural Center. I was able to see one production Repertory’s Mind’s Eye. Gibbs Cadiz reported that many of the productions were lackluster. I did, however, manage to attend three sessions of the conference which emphasized the ancient problems of our theater.
Of all our art forms, the theater has a long tradition in the comedia or moro-moro the folk dramatization of the Christian and Moro wars. Then came the zarzuela, the vodavilimports from Spain which were Filipinized.
The theater (and its extension the movies, the telenovelas) has the most audience and impact on the people. It is, perhaps, also the least solvent.
Just a few reminders first. The heart of the theater is the play itself, how it dramatizes life to make it meaningful entertainment. To achieve depth and universality the playwright must subject himself to intense critique, to know human character and behavior and finally to construct art from the most mundane of human experience.
For instance, recently I was turned off by a play wherein the major character was killed for the flimsiest of reasons. This does not speak well of the playwright and our humanity but maybe, that was what the playwright intended: to show how cheap life has become in this country.
What is needed in the theater in fact for all our art forms is a vibrant critical tradition. Do away with the pakikisama syndrome. This is easy to do for in all of us is that faculty to recognize when we are being taken for a ride.
The playwrights, actors, actresses and directors must broaden their perspectives. They must not regard TV as a competitor but as an ally which they could influence, bring to it professionalism and depth, particularly in negating those moronic telenovelas, and bring forth those addictive and brilliant serials with which Koreans captivated the world. To do this, they must look carefully at what we have, our folk tradition that can be utilized, modernized. We have to create now our own Shakespeares whose plays we can adapt, reshape to conform with our requirements.
Bohol has a wonderful cultural program because Lutgardo Labad is there to lead and supervise it. This is what the country needs cultural leaders who return to the provinces. Cultural enrichment must not be concentrated in Manila or the large cities. It must be nationwide. To fund major cultural efforts we must not rely alone on government and foundation patronage; if the farmer can spend for beer, he can pay for good entertainment which he can understand, which he can identify with and which will fortify his spirit.
The comedia or moro-moro in the past was paid for by the landlords whose tenants and their children acted in it. They were also supported by the municipality from the funds raised by the beauty contest for the fiesta queen.
We can take a cue from history, when medieval plays in Europe had no stages and were presented on town squares. It needs to be done today, wherever there are basketball courts, schools.
The Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA), as explained by a participant in the open forum, worked with the simplest tools, staged plays in basketball courts, in the streets. Such activity must continue if we are to bring enlightenment to our masa, bludgeoned into shallowness by our insipid TV dramas.
Within the month, the Instituto Cervantes also showed at the Carlos Romulo Theater in Makati the Teresa Nieto and Company. The choreographer drew from the Spanish classical flamenco to create a modern dance form with the same vibrance and fire.
At the end of the month, the Cultural Center of the Philippines revived a ballet musical Rama, Hari based on the Hindu epic, the Ramayana. Again, a splendid Filipino adaptation of a revered Asian classic. How I wish, however, that the subject was Filipino. Our theater people, just like our dancers, are very committed to their art. But they have to live and they leave instead for this country cannot support them. The very talented ballerina Candice Adea has gone to Hong Kong which has already absorbed many of our dancers; so does Singapore or some of the European cities who can give them a living wage.
Mao said an army without culture is a dull army and cannot win battles. A people without culture, to paraphrase Mao, is dull and ignorant and are destined to be poor.
Book month
The National Book Month sponsored by the National Book Development Council, headed by Neni Santa Romana Cruz, should be commended for its work. It has a lot more to do to make Filipinos read and read and read. One reason we are shallow is because we do not read and our shallowness is reflected in the kind of officials that we elect. These ignoramus, corrupt officials validate the existence of the National Book Council and similar organization tasked with raising the Filipino intelligence quotient.
The council must continue to oversee and, if possible, have punitive powers over publishers trying to corner the big Department of Education budget. Brother Armin Luistro is doing his very best. In an informal survey I made, he topped the list of the most hardworking of all the President’s Cabinet members. But he cannot uproot totally the age-old connivance between bureaucrats and book publishers.
The council has a lot of policing to do. Many college professors, for instance, collate materials or write their own textbooks without those textbooks subjected to quality analysis.
Many librarians, teachers, and bureaucrats are just as venal they demand lagay sometimes free travel from publishers and book sellers. Many schools have inadequate libraries although they charge library fees.
All these misdemeanors are barriers to the development of readers, excellent education and it is necessary for the council to have punitive powers or, at least, the mandate to investigate, recommend, and make its findings public.
Okay, so we want to buy books, but there are not that many bookshops in the provinces. And the major bookshops do not exhibit Philippine books. This is one aspect of marketing that the council should look into. It could start a campaign of book donations which will then be sent to schools in the provinces. A retired American teacher is trying to supply books in the Ilokos. She tells me of the great book shortage there.
At the moment, very few outlets exist for the work of our creative writers. The major newspapers before martial law had literary supplements. Not now. The council should publish two literary monthly magazines. One in English, and the other in Tagalog. These publications should also be sent abroad to our embassies and literary organizations.
The council should stop giving awards to the “best” books published every year. Its judging process has, to me, absolutely zero credibility. It should, instead, fund a venerable institution like the University of the Philippines to administer such awards, the way Columbia University was authorized by Pulitzer.
It should continue to give achievement awards. Gilda Cordero Fernando fully deserves her “Life Achievement Award” this November. Our writers are often destitute because this country starves them. A sizeable sum should go with the award.
Each year, the highlight of Book Month will be this Achievement Award. In line, how about Greg Brillantes, Jimmy Abad, Jun Hidalgo, a publisher, editor or an individual like Sylvia Palanca Quirino who contributes so much to our literature?
During this occasion, it may also present the authors who have won fellowships.
The National Artist award
The Cultural Center of the Philippines and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts have called for National Artist nominations. I suggested sometime back that the award be limited to only seven categories (out with dressmaking!) and that officials of both institutions- since some of them are also excellent artists should be included but can’t vote in the final deliberations.
I nominate Cultural Center of the Philippines president Raul Sunico for Music and Cris Millado, CCP artistic director for Drama. I need not cite their qualifications they are well known to the public and the cognoscenti.
If these two are disqualified because of their position in a government institution, I nominate Rodolfo Vera for Theater. He is a very talented playwright, actor, singer and director and is a major activist for the theater.
For Music, I nominate Ryan Cayabyab whose public reputation is also well known.
For Literature, I nominate Cirilo Bautista. I consider him superior to Jose Garcia Villa.
For Sculpture, I nominate Julie Lluch. She is very creative as evidenced by her representative sculptures. Unlike others who keep repeating themselves, she exudes originality.
There is nothing in the rules that says the award cannot be given to two artists; for Dance, I nominate two Liza Macuja Elizalde. She has done more than any single individual to popularize ballet and is herself an excellent teacher and dancer.
My other nominee is Agnes Locsin of Davao. As choreographer, she has done great innovation in dance by using our indigenous dances for inspiration. She is the true successor to Leonor Orosa who pioneered in the modernization of Philippine dance.
For Cinema, my choice is Nora Aunor.
Our dying folk art
Early last month, Malacanang honored two Ilokanos for their excellent work: Magdalena Gamayo of Pinili, Ilokos Norte for weaving and Teofilo Garcia of San Quintin, Abra, gourd casque maker. For this, I salute the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).
The two honorees continue the old Iloko craft of weaving on the handloom, and creating that gourd hat which Ilokano males used to wear.
When my grandparents migrated to Rosales at the turn of the century, my grandmother brought along her wooden handloom. My grandfather also made this gourd hat. It was very plain compared with the gourd hats of the ilustrados that were adorned with silver.
Weaving in the Ilokos was fairly common during the Spanish era. The Ilokanos grew cotton and exported it, together with woven cloth to Europe. A special variety of gourd is used for the hat. When it matures, the skin which is thick becomes hard but brittle. It takes lots of patience and skill to make it into a headgear.
With assistance from institutions like the NCCA, our folk crafts will continue to thrive although they are not commonly used now as they are replaced with more durable and cheaper implements. Our farmers have stopped making those splendid bamboo baskets for the frogs and the fish they catch in the rice paddies. Alat we Ilokanos called it. Nor do we have those fine baskets, containers, bags of rattan woven by the Igorots, all of which were abundant in the 1950s. Many are now in collections abroad.
The National Museum should have a section just for these products to illustrate the fine craftsmanship of yesteryear. Senator Loren Legarda has contributed much in the promotion of such crafts. She should be supported by government.
The Japanese occupation showed how versatile we can be in the face of shortages. When there was no more leather or rubber for shoes, wooden shoes became fashionable; they were carved, painted and were worn with pride by men and women.
Japan has a sturdy tradition in craftsmanship, in the continuity of its folk crafts. Visitors to Japan should see their folk art museums which show what the Japanese have done with bamboo, paper, wood, clay, and leather. They honor their best craftsmen as “Living National Treasures,” grant them funding and recognition so that they can function independently.
It is fairly common to see so many Japanese as hobbyist weavers, potters, wood carvers. Every so often, they exhibit in department stores. Rustan’s in Makati once exhibited Tboli weavers. Such exhibition should be a regular feature in all the malls.
Also last week, the Design Center asked me to speak before producers of handicrafts for export. I told them to emphasize craftsmanship and to express Filipino uniqueness in the design of their products. We are now more than a hundred million a mass market they should exploit. They have a lot to do, to educate Filipino distributors and department store owners, and most of all, to convince our people to buy Filipino.
It all boils down to patriotism as someone in the audience pointed out. Patriotism is the most important ingredient in development, but patriotism like integrity cannot be had for breakfast. A perceptive woman asked if there are incentives for Filipinos to be patriotic. I said, patriotism has absolutely no incentives. The logic of patriotism or love of country, a person, or an ideal is sacrifice. Patriotism is in the heart, in believing that our country is our motherland. Our biological mothers deserve our eternal gratitude whatever kind of mothers they are. They gave us this most precious gift of life. It is the same with our motherland. We were born here, we are nourished here and we will most probably die here, for her if need be.
An American patriot said, “My country right or wrong may she always be right.”
Patriotism is not words, it is deeds. Just the same are there Filipinos ready to declare, “My country warts and all”?